Shift type nesting and stacking receptacle



Aug. 24, 1965 J. A. ROGUS SHIFT TYPE NESTING AND STACKING RECEPTACLE Filed Jan. 13, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. 'm JsEPH 6 fi' G BY aa w gw & /-77"7'0/?/V'Y5 Aug. 24, 1965 J A. ROGUS 3,202,294

SHIFT TYPE NESTING AND STACKING RECEPTACLE Filed Jan. 13, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. :705EPH 6'. fioaus wamgw HTTOR/VEYG United States Patent 3,202,294 SHlFT TYPE NESTING AND STACKING REQEPTACLE Joseph Rogus, Wiliowick, Ohio, assignor to Mid-West Metallic Products, inc, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Lian. 13, 1964, Ser. No. 337,426 7 Claims. (Ql. lib-126) This invention relates to improvements in a receptacle adapted to tier and nest vertically in line with another like receptacle and without the use of any moving parts.

Among the objects of the present invention is the provision of a simple but strong and efiicient construction comprised of wires welded together, together with cross wires which strengthen the bottom and continue upwardly to form the opposite sides of the receptacle with some of these wires also supporting tiering seats for stacking one receptacle above a second like receptacle.

Another feature of this invention is the provision of simple tiering seats of novel construction.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and description and the essential features thereof will be set forth in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a receptacle embodying this invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmental perspective view, enlarged, taken at the upper left hand corner of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of two of the receptacles of FIG. 1 in nested position;

FIG. 4 is a fragmental end elevational view of two of the receptacles of FIG. 1 in tiered relationship;

FIG. 5 is a fragmental sectional View, enlarged, taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a fragmental sectional view, enlarged, taken along line 6--6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a fragmental sectional View, enlarged, taken along the line 7-7 of FIG. 3; while FIG. 8 is a fragmental sectional view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 7.

The receptacle of this invention has a generally planar bottom it) having parallel side frame members 11 along opposite sides of the generally rectangular bottom 10. The bottom structure comprises a plurality of parallel cross wires 12 which in the present embodiment support and are welded to a plurality of longitudinally extending Wires 13 forming an open bottom. It will be understood by those skilled in this art that the bottom might be a closed pan in which case the members 11 would be side members of the pan. In the present instance, the side members 11 are integral parts of a continuous wire extending entirely around the bottom of the receptacle and having end portions 11a at right angles to the portions 11, and raised to prevent articles falling out of the receptacle. As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 8, each of the longitudinal extending wires 13 extends beyond the point of fastening to the last cross wire 12 followed by a sharp bend to provide upturned ends 13a all of which are fastened to the end wire 11:: by welding.

One of the important features of the present invention is the particular construction of the cross wires 12. As clearly seen in FIG. 7, each of these wires is bent downwardly at 12 1 just Where it extends outwardly under the side frame member 11, such bend having a vertical extent approximately equal to the diameter of the side frame member wire 11 minus the diameter of the wire 13. Each cross wire then extends as indicated at 12b a predetermined distance laterally beyond its associated side frame member 11 and is then bent upfihifihd Patented Aug. 24, 1965 Wardly to form a side wall portion 120. It will be noticed in this embodiment that the side wall portions lie generally in vertical planes parallel to each other and laterally outside of the associated side frame members 11 by the above mentioned predetermined distance. The bends 12a permit the tops of wires ill. and 13 to lie at approximately a common level indicated at C, FIG. 7. This permits loads to rest evenly on the bottom right out to the side wall portions 12c.

A top side Wall member 14 extends along each of the two opposite sides 'of the receptacle parallel to its associated side frame member 11. These members 14 are rigidly secured as by welding to the upper ends of the side wall portions 120 of the cross wires. Preferably, but not necessarily, each of these top side wall members is bent at the end approximately 180 as indicated at 14:; and then runs backwardly along itself as indicated at 16b parallel to the top side wall member 14. Preferably, but not necessarily, these top members 14b extend to a point near the center of the receptacle and there one end is bent at 140 to overlap the meeting end and thus give a smooth grip when receptacles are to be lifted.

The side wall portions 120 of the cross Wires are inclined to the vertical so as to permit the nesting of two or more like receptacles vertically above each other. While these side wall portions 12c could be flared outwardly slightly, it is preferred to incline them upwardly from the bottom and toward the end of the receptacle as indicated in FIGS. 1 and 3. Here all of the wires except the ones at the right-hand end of the receptacles are inclined upwardly and toward the right. These end Wires at the right-hand end of FIGS. 1 and 3 indicated as 120 are inclined upwardly and toward the left so as to give a better finish to the receptacle at that end.

Novel tiering seat members 15 are provided near the top of the receptacle and near the opposite ends of the side wall portions. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 6, each of these seat members is formed of a metal bracket having its opposite ends welded to its associated top side wall member 14. All of these seat brackets from the ends located in thesame direction or on the same hand, right or left, seen as the left-hand in FIGS. 2 and 6, extend laterally inwardly at 15a from the point of securement to the top side wall member, are then bent approximately at 90 as indicated at 15b to extend generally parallel to the top side wall member and there having an upper edge 15c inclined slightly downwardly toward the right. The angle A in FIG. 6 is approximately 30 to the horizontal. Each upper edge is then preferably recessed downwardly at 15d toward a tiering seat 152. The bracket is again bent about 90 laterally outwardly at 15 and the outer end of the bracket is rigidly secured as by welding to the top side member 14-. The piece 15 provides a bracket wall extending steeply upwardly from the seat 156. Preferably each bracket has an ear 15g overlying seat 15e to prevent an upper tiered receptacle from escaping upwardly. There is clearance between this ear and 15c and 15d to permit movement of a wire 12b to and from a seat l5e.

A lower tiering support point 12d on the bottom of each of the cross wire portions and located directly beneath the coacting upper tiering seat 15c permits the stacking of like receptacles vertically directly above each other. The dot-dash line X in FIG. 3 indicates that these points are vertically directly in line. While four of the seat members 15 are shown, it will be understood that more might be used, if desired.

Flat spots may be provided at 12d if one desires a better tiering support when one receptacle is stacked on top of the other.

In use of two or more of the receptacles which have just been described, it a product is stored on the bottom Ill then it is often desirable to tier two or more like receptacles one vertically above the other. This is done by having the lower support points 12d on the cross wires 12 resting upon their associated tiering seats 152. In this position, the upper receptacle is prevented from endwise movemer' relative to the lower receptacle by the upper edge portions 15c 15d of the seat member on one side, and the wall 15 on the opposite side of the seat lie. The steep portion 15:! is desirable to prevent displacement in case of sudden stopping of a truck carrying these tiered receptacles. Angle B in FIG. 6 is preferably greater than 45 to the horizontal. At the same time, movement of the upper receptacle laterally relative to the lower rec ptacle is prevented or limited in three different ways. A first control is shown in FlG. 4 where the iii 1- ited space 7.6 between the side wall portions 120 of the upper receptacle and the top side wall members 14 of the lower receptacle limit the lateral movement of the upper receptacles relative to the lower one. A second control is indicated by the limited sp it? in FIG. 4 between the bottom side frame member ll of the upper receptacle and the bracket wall 15 of the lower receptacle. A third control is the ear 15g lying inside of side wall wire 12 of the upper receptacle as seen PEG. 6. The lower receptacle is prevented from escaping directly upwardly by ear 15g overly ng wire portion 1252 as seen in Flt 6.

To move an upper receptacle tiered above a lower like receptacle from tiered position to nesting position, it is only necessary to raise the u per receptacle, with its bottom generally horizontal, from the full line position toward the dot-dash position of 6, until the cross wire portion 12b of the upper receptacle clears the ear 15g, after which the upper receptacle is lifted vertically and then moved toward the right in FIG. 6 or in PEG. 3, until the wire side wall portions 120 of the upper receptacle are enabled to enter downwardly to the right of bracket 15 in H6. 6 indicated as space Y in FIGS. 3 and 6. All four of these coasting parts at the four corners of the receptacle are located in the same direction, toward the 1" 'nt of brackets 15 in FIGS. 1, 3 and 6, and cooperate in the same manner simultaneously so that the upper receptacle moves downwardly to the nested position in the lower receptacle shown in FIG. 3. The space ind'cated at Y in FEGS. 3 6 is sutlici nt to permit a plurality of receptacles to nest together until this space is fully occupied by the wires 12c of several nested baskets. To enable this nesting to one place smoothly, each of the wire portions 120 and 120 is bent slightly or wardly forming an offset as seen at 2 in FIGS. 2 and 4 just at th level of attachment to the top f1 me members 14- and the nested position of the two receptacles shown in FIG. 3, the wire lid-b of the upper receptacle engages and rests upon the wire of the lower receptacle, thereby spacing the bottoms ill) of the two receptacles slightly in a vertical direction as seen PEG. 3. This also prevents any tight wedging action between the side wall portions i 20 and 120' of the two nested receptacles.

it will be noted that the shape of the seat members 15 renders it easy for an operator to find the proper tiering position of one receptacle on top of another, and the movement of the upper receptacle from tiering position to nesting position in the lower receptacle is accomplished by a very slight upward and horizontal shifting movement after which tie upper receptacle may be simply dropped down to its nesting position as shown in MG. 3.

A slight modification is indicated in dot-dash lines in FIG. 2. All of the wires 120 on both sides of the receprnay be. inclined laterally outwardly and upwardly from points through points .22 and 23, thus doin away with the offsets 2d. In this case the planes defined by the wire portions 3152c are inclined slightly outwardly and upwardly but are still approximately parallel and approximately vertical.

What is claimed is:

l. A receptacle adapted for tiering and nesting with a second like receptacle and comprising a generally planar rectangular bottom having parallel side frame members rigidly secured along two opposite sides thereof, a plurality of parallel cross wires extending beneath said bottom at right angles to said side frame members and rigidly secured thereto and extending a predetermined distance laterally beyond said side frame members and then having side wall portions bent upwardly in approximately parallel planes generally perpendicular to the plane of said bottom, said planes spaced laterally outside of said side frame members, said wires in each side wall portion inclined to the vertical in said parallel planes so as to nest with like wires of a second like receptacle, a top side wall member extending along each of said two opposite sides and rigidly secured to the upper ends of the side wall portions of said cross wires on the outer surfaces thereof, four tiering seat members rigidly secured one near each end of each top side wall member and extending inwardly from the associated side Wall member less than said predetermined distance and providing seats vertically directly above tiering points on certain ones of said cross wires closely outside side frame members, said seats being w said top sidewall members and recessed in said seat l hers, and there being sufiicient space between each said seat members and the tops of said side wall portions of said certain cross wires, and all on the same side said seat members, to permit a plurality of said certain cross wires to nest there, whereby when two like receptacles ae tiered, said seat members prevent endwise movement of said cross wire tiering points and said seat ri'ieinbers prevent lateral movement of said side frame members, and the upper one of two like receptacles can nested into the lower receptacle by a slight horizontal shift.

2. A receptacle as defined in claim ll, wherein each said seat member is formed of a seat bracket having its opposite ends welded to its associated top side wall member,

all of said seat brackets from the ends located in the same direction extending laterally inward then parallel to its associated top side wall member toward the opposite direction and there having an upper edge inclined downwardly to said seat and then bent laterally outwardly to the opposite end of said seat bracket to provide there a bracltet wall extending steeply upwardly from said seat on the side thereof opposite said inclined upper edge.

3. A receptacle as defined in claim 2 wherein each said seat bracket includes rigid therewith an ear overlying said seat in position to prevent a tiered like receptacle escaping from said seat vertically upward, said ear and said adjacent top side wall member preventing a tiered like receptacle from esca ing laterally, and there being clearance between said ear and the adjacent downwardly inclined upper edge to permit movement of a cross wire tiering point to and from said seat.

4. A receptacle as defined in claim 2 wherein said inclined upper edge is recessed downwardly adjacent said seat at an angle greater than 45 to the horizontal, whereby to prevent a cross wire at said tiering point being accidentally jolted out of tiered position on said seat.

5. A receptacle as defined in claim 1 wherein said parallel side frame members have a greater vertical dimension than said bottom, and said cross wires extend beneath said side frame members and are there offset downwardly an amount sullicient to cause a substantially coplanar relationsh p between the upper surfaces of said bottom and of said side frame members.

6. A receptacle as defined in claim 5 wherein said side frame members are of metal wire of a heavy gage, said bottom comprises metal wires of a lighter gage extending parallel to said side frame members, and said side frame members and said bottom wires are welded to said cross wires.

7. A receptacle as defined in claim 1, wherein each of said top side wall members comprises a top wire extend ing endwise beyond the end ones of said side wall portions of said cross wires and there bent 180 in a downward direction and back parallel to said top wire and in the same vertical plane as said top wire and rigidly secured to said side wall portions of said cross wires, whereby to strengthen the top portion of said receptacle and to space the bottoms of two like receptacles when nested.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Kaye 22019 Averill 211-426 Glezen 22019 Lockwood 211--126 Aven'll 211--126 Wilson 211-126 10 CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner. 

1. A RECEPTACLE ADAPTED FOR TIERING AND NESTING WITH A SECOND LIKE RECEPTACLE AND COMPRISING A GENERALLY PLANAR RECTANGULAR BOTTOM HAVING PARALLEL SIDE FRAME MEMBERS RIGIDLY SECURED ALONG TWO OPPOSITE SIDES THEREOF, A PLURALITY OF PARALLEL CROSS WIRES EXTENDING BENEATH SAID BOTTOM AT RIGHT ANGLES TO AIDSIDE FRAME MEMBERS AND RIGIDLY SECURED THERETO AND EXTENDING A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE LATERALLY BEYOND SAID SIDE FRAME MEMBERS AND THEN HAVING SIDE WALL PORTIONS BENT UPWARDLY IN APPROXIMATELY PARALLEL PLANES GENERALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE PLANE OF SAID BOTTOM, SAID PLANES SPACED LATERALLY OUTSIDE OF SAID SIDE FRAME MEMBERS, SAIDWIRES IN EACH SIDE WALL PORTION INCLINED TO THE VERTICAL IN SAID PARALLEL PLANES SO AS TO NEST WITH LIKE WIRES OF A SECOND LIKE RECPETACLE, A TOP SIDE WALL MEMBER EXTENDING ALONG EACH OF SAID TWO OPPOSITE SIDES AND RIGIDLY SECURED TO THE UPPER ENDS OF THE SIDE WALL PORTIONS OF SAID CROSS WIRES ON THE OUTER SURFACES THEREOF, FOUR TIERING SEAT MEMBERS RIGIDLY SECURED ONE NEAR EACH END OF EACH TOP SIDE WALL MEMBER AND EXTENDING INWARDLY FROM THE ASSOCIATED SIDE WALL MEMBER LESS THAN SAID PREDETERMINED DISTANCE AND PROVIDING SEATS VERTICALLY DIRECTLY ABOVE TIERING POINTS ON CERTAIN ONES OF SAID CROSS WIRES CLOSELY OUTSIDE SAID SIDE FRAME MEMBERS, SAID SEATS BEING BELOW SAID TOP SIDE WALL MEMBER AND RECESSED IN SAID SEAT MEMBERS, AND THERE BEING SUFFICIENT SPACE BETWEEN EACH OF SAID SEAT MEMBERS AND THE TOPS OF SAID SIDE WALL PORTIONS OF SAIDCERTAIN CROSS WIRES, AND ALL ON THE SAME SIDE OF SAID SEAT MEMBERS, TO PERMIT A PLURALITY OF SAID CERTAIN CROSS WIRES TO NEST THERE, WHEREBY WHEN TWO LIKE RECEPTACLES OF SAID CROSS WIRE TIERING POINTS AND SAID SEAT MOVEMENT OF SAID CROSS WIRE TIERING POINTS AND SAID SEAT MEMBERS PREVENT LATERAL MOVEMENT OF SAID SIDE FRAME MEMBERS, AND THE UPPER ONE OF TWO LIKE RECEPTACLES CAN BE NESTED INTO THE LOWER RECEPTACLEBY A SLIGHT HORIZONTAL SHIFT. 